We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, September 14. 2017

It seems to me that the social value of different personality traits, behaviors, and accomplishments varies widely across cultures and subcultures, and certainly across history.

I'm not sure what "worthy" means, though. Christian praise songs say "Only You are worthy." All I can think of about "worthy" is worthy to marry one of my splendid kids. That is a high bar in many areas, I'm afraid.

Friday, September 8. 2017

It's a strange approach to the subject, written by a therapist of some sort. Why does anybody break any sorts of covenants, agreements, vows, commitments, laws, etc., even when they know how destructive to conscience and good cheer it can be?

Of course it's because we are implanted with strong, relentless desires of all sorts. Food, lust, love, violence, competition, revenge, excitement. Raw life forces. You can call them emotions or instincts or whatever you want to call them. Most human desires lack any moral, much less bourgeois-moral, components and often lack any practical components. We need only refer to our fantasies to see that.

A more interesting topic is to consider is why and when people do notbreak any sorts of covenants, agreements, vows, commitments, laws, social conventions, etc. despite pressing desires. It's more interesting because it's the special human part. The monkey parts are no mystery at all.

It's an interesting effect which may have some adaptive value, or maybe not. It does explain why many normal-weight fitness-seekers need to force themselves to eat some protein when they have no appetite and no interest in food. It could be part of why hard cardio exercisers lose weight. Exercise doesn't provide fat loss, but the cardio reduces appetite. I am not talking about anorectics, just regular people who want to be in fighting shape and kind to their joints.

Sunday, September 3. 2017

Aging is characterized by changes in body composition. CT studies demonstrate that as we age, subcutaneous fat (below the skin, SF) decreases and visceral fat (in abdominal cavity, VF) increases. VF is the enemy. Because it causes systemic inflammation, it is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, stroke and death. If that’s not enough, VF also provides the Buddha-belly mid-life midriff.

The other most common age-related change in body composition is muscle loss. Because muscle has a high metabolic rate, its loss is associated with a reduction in energy expenditure. This decrease in caloric burn lends itself to weight (fat) gain.

Friday, September 1. 2017

We term this phenomenon "False Hunger" because overweight people have no need for outside energy sources. In fact, though, overweight people tend to experience more subjective hunger than normal-weight or ectomorphic people. Is that cause, or effect?

A bit of both but mostly effect, as it turns out. It mostly has to do with how pudgy people ramp up their insulin response and the resulting, or related, insulin insensitivity. Illogical as it seems, having extra body fat makes people feel hungrier. Feed me, Seymour. It's a vicious cycle: Always Hungry? Here’s Why.

Overweight people can survive weeks or months without carbohydrates/sugars using their body fat as an energy source as long as they consume protein, fats, and oils to prevent muscle deterioration.

Stomach-stretching? People who eat bulky meals on any regular basis do stretch their stomachs, which can result in increased subjective appetite and hunger. We recommend small meals for everybody, regardless of weight. Except on feast days or special occasions. People feel less tired, more energetic, and more productive with small meals.

Fast eaters, voracious eaters? Fast eaters trick their satiety signals by overeating (ie, greater volume of nutrients than needed to thrive) before satiety can kick in. Very few fast eaters are in good shape. A bad habit, and bad manners too.

Thursday, August 31. 2017

Can an analogy be made between the pursuit of mental fitness and of physical fitness during aging? I certainly do not know, so I will remain skeptical.

The idea that pursuing mental fitness could prevent Alzheimer's is ridiculous. However, it appears to me that many retired people take on difficult mental challenges for an hour or two daily to try to keep their brains geared up. I am not talking about passive learning (ie reading), but active studying. A few examples from people I know:

- A retired guy who decided to refresh his college calculus, and has since taken his math studies three levels beyond where he had gone before, and is still going

- A retired gal who has become fluent in Italian, and can now read Dante and hang out in Italy, considering buying a summer place in Ferrara.

- A retired lawyer who has become fluent in Mandarin

- A friend who decided to become fluent and literate in a new language every two years, and has thus far done that three times using Rosetta Stone.

- A friend who at age 50 has taken up piano in a serious way

- A retired executive neighbor who thought he was too smart to take up mechanics in high school who took up small engine mechanics and is moving on to (pre-computerized) auto mechanics. Now a grease monkey and very happy.

- A retired physician who decided to become an expert in immunology and the genetics of immunology, and has been doing so, while having to learn biomedical statistics on the side.

- A friend who has just gone back to college. Graduated decades ago, but feels she missed a lot.

Mental exertions/disciplines like these are analogous to physical training. I'm sure it's not wasted effort because difficult achievement is its own reward. One thing we know is that strenuous physical exertion (ie not walking or relaxed swimming) is good for brain maintenance but not the opposite.

Wednesday, August 30. 2017

That may or may not be true, but we will all grow old, get sick, and die unless we encounter a fatal accident or get sick and die before we get old.

It's worth reading Cicero's essay On Growing Old before growing old. Appropriately enough, that edition is in large print. Meanwhile, I endorse efforts to remain physically and mentally as vigorous as possible for as long as possible. It makes life more productive and fulfilling but, with luck and if we want to, we might end up old.

Wednesday, August 23. 2017

As summer begins to reach an end here in the northern hemisphere, I found myself recently alone on a remote beach in Maine soaking up beneficial solar rays with no clothing and no sunscreen. I pulled a small kayak up on the little island's rocky beach, and exulted in Mr. Sun's reaching sweetly into every crack and pore of my imperfect and slightly-aging multi-gravida but decently-athletic body. Mr. Sun doesn't discriminate.

I reflected on the pure animal pleasures as only the human kind of animal can reflect. The delight of touch, like the delight of a warm breeze. A gently rocking boat. The heat of the sun on skin, a breeze through your naked pubes. A hug from a friend or kid. A dog licking your hand. Sexual delights, of course. Powerful. The taboo relief pleasures of peeing and pooing. A hot shower that you hate to leave. The thrill of a violent thunderstorm. The tingle of a spoonful of delicious champagne sorbet or fresh raspberry sorbet. The joy of smacking a tennis overhead onto the sneakers of an opponent on a sunny morning. A hot tomato off the vine. The smell of hot trees and flowers. The pleasure of giving in to gravity onto a cozy bed at the end of a day. The fun of walking into cool air conditioning from a sizzling street, and the fun of walking from a car onto a sizzling beach. A chilly glass or two of chardonnay on the lawn at 5 pm.

Mindless, happy-animal, universal pleasures. Controlled hedonisms with no vomitoria or alcohol- and cocaine-fueled orgies. Each season offers its own set of innocent delights, but summertime offers the most.

Carpe diem, because you and I might not be alive next year. Anything can happen. I believe in working hard and long, but not always being a drudge. What's for supper? Grab a beer and make yourselves a turkey sandwich, family. I ain't cooking.

Monday, August 21. 2017

Much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the opioid crisis holds that virtually anyone is at risk for opioid abuse or addiction — say, the average dental patient who receives some Vicodin for a root canal. This is inaccurate, but unsurprising. Exaggerating risk is a common strategy in public-health messaging: The idea is to garner attention and funding by democratizing affliction and universalizing vulnerability. But this kind of glossing is misleading at best, counterproductive at worst. To prevent and ameliorate problems, we need to know who is truly at risk to target resources where they are most needed.

In truth, the vast majority of people prescribed medication for pain do not misuse it, even those given high doses.

Friday, August 11. 2017

Everybody may have a devil inside them, but the people we term "psychopathic" or "sociopathic" are outliers on the bell curve of human behavior. Sociopaths have habits of exploitation, deceit, cheating, impulsiveness, manipulation, rationalization, and often of cruelty. Clever sociopaths are masters of disguise and of acting. There is a genetic component.

Clever sociopaths can put on a "mask of sanity" and, if careful enough, make successful lives in some careers.

Thursday, August 10. 2017

Most people have at least some degree of this potentially life-damaging fear. Oftentimes, the fear is justified because it is likely that many people will not find us interesting, appealing, or worthy of relationship (boo-hoo), but sometimes our fear is indiscriminate.

Faking confidence isn't a bad starting approach, but the real trick is to improve one's rejection tolerance and that can only be achieved by enduring rejection.

Sunday, August 6. 2017

Life isn't fair. We all know that. We also know that everybody has "issues," from the mild to the severe. While I would advise most people to try to address their issues, my first advice would be to try to conceal them in public.

That starts with behaving "appropriately" at all times, dressing well, getting a good hair style or haircut or whatever, and, if a guy, shaving before going out in public. I've been out and about quite a bit lately and see some women going to work almost looking like bag ladies or schizophrenics and guys looking like alcoholics. Maybe they are, but they should not advertise it. Odd and unstylish (relatively-speaking) appearance is only a good idea on Halloween.

Whatever people have going on inside, looking together and making a good social presentation makes a big difference in life. I do not mean to be superficial but first impressions carry a lot of weight. Like Peterson's "start by cleaning your room and getting rid of old stuff", acting and looking like you have got it together is a good first step. If you or your living environment look a little "off," that's an unfortunate impression. It's off-putting.

Tuesday, August 1. 2017

It's quite recent, actually, and really a European cultural concept. More specifically, a British aristocratic concept because even today an Italian breakfast (except for the tourists) is an espresso or latte and a biscotti, and a typical French breakfast is a cafe au lait and a croissant. Typical Italian supper? Soup and bread, or cheese and leftovers.

"Eating between meals"? I suspect people might feel better with 5 mini-meals - balanced snacks, really, because stuffed and lazy after supper is not an effective life plan. Stuffed and lazy after any meal is not a good plan except on Thanksgiving. Serious exercisers and athletes tend to discipline themselves to a 5 meal program to keep the nutrients flowing. They have to eat when they aren't hungry to maintain their level of fitness and power, and to keep their weight up.

A mini-meal for many can be something like a couple of slices of chicken and a handful of olives, or an apple and some cheese slices, maybe a slice of pizza or a cup of yoghurt or oatmeal with berries. Volume and details depending, of course, on total muscle mass, body frame, daily physical demands, physical goals, etc. Body-builders need 4-5 full meals daily to put on muscle mass, while the old-fashioned three squares/day will make most adults flabby if not obese.

To understand what your body needs, look at it nude in the mirror. One look will tell you what it needs in fitness and nutrition in terms of muscular development, leanness or fatness, posture, etc. When it comes to food, we can't listen to our body too much. It's a liar because it was programmed for scarcity a long time ago, before agriculture. Humans seem to have the instinctive inclinations (eat, nap, fight, play, sex, and repeat until dark when the predators come out) of monkeys, chimps, and gorillas but we have some added higher capacities, or so the scientists claim.

Thursday, July 6. 2017

Playing a woman's body like a violin? Wonderful. Bonded men and women ought to try to please each other as best they can in all sorts of ways. That is what it is about, partly. Fun, however, is no replacement for a spiritual emptiness.

Monday, July 3. 2017

Like many other animals, humans are napping creatures. Our Western society doesn't really take that into account, nor should it because we demand a lot from people.

In my workday, I schedule in a 20-minute catnap after a chicken-salad lunch. It does me a lot of good, since I do my daily workouts at 6 am. After my catnap I am good for another 6 hours of work or a drive to NH.

Mediterranean-based societies have siestas - especially Spanish and Italian. Naptime, or sex + nap. In many cultures, lunch is their dinner and I do not know how they handle work after a large meal. I don't know about Asians or Africans.

I do believe that some of what we term "sleep disorders," and diagnose at great expense and often treat with amphetamines, are simply due to a need for a power nap. People vary.

Sunday, July 2. 2017

IQ is easy to measure, as an example, but many things which effect our reaching our goals are more difficult to measure.

I know that,when organizations consider people for hire or for promotion, they always consider the person's "intangibles." That includes things like amiability, appearance, dress, comportment, manners, sophistication, cultural knowledge, reliability, tone of voice, and so forth. Their "vibe." A good vibe is a sort of personal capital.

Another intangible which matters in life is social capital, something Charles Murray often speaks about. People obviously vary a great deal in the extent of their social connections and (cliche again) one can easily be lonely in a crowd. Many prefer to be isolated but I think there is a basic human need to be "in community," to have human connections of all sorts outside of family. We are tribal creatures. I feel sad for those who lack tribes with whom to touch base and reconnect during the holiday season. That makes it depressing indeed because it's supposed to be about fun fun fun and party party party, right?

There are many ingredients to constructing a satisfying life, but what a satisfying life means is different for everybody. However, I believe that to be in community, or really a part of multiple communities, is a key component. Some care about it more than others, for certain. With a little luck, the construction begins with an anchor solidly lodged in immediate or extended family, and extends, in separate but often-overlapping circles, out from there depending on what one does or decides to build.

And I do mean "build." Like career, community is never handed to you on a silver platter. I like to connect with interesting, intelligent, positive, and amusing people with interesting and adventurous lives. Who doesn't? On Saturday night, I met a gent, a retired banker, who covered the erection of the Berlin Wall for the New York Times when he was 21 years old. He had taken his grandkids to the Checkpoint Charlie museum in Berlin this summer. I want to include him, and his wife, in one of my circles.

Finding people with whom we have affinity and comfort is not easy especially for the shy, and seeking at least a few which go beyond the superficial is a wholesome and worthwhile life challenge. For example, I do not need any more friends who love to discuss handbags because my handbag interest is two minutes deep. Possibly three minutes.

I discussed the topic somewhat in my post Class, Social Capital, and Character Traits. Sometimes I ask patients to create a Venn diagram of the human communities in which they live and form relationships, beginning with family and extended family as the necessary and solid core - regardless of how one may feel about them at a given moment. It can be illuminating.

The categories (Venn circle diagrams) that I suggest include things like:

Family and the people who are "like family" Closest confidants, closest personal and family friendsOld friendsSpouse's buddies and closest palsWarm and friendly acquaintances, friendly neighbors, and friendly shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers, and other life helpersGroup connections (eg church, clubs, sports friends, favored activities companions, etc)Colleagues and work-related groups or organizationsLocal community-based organizations and volunteer organization associates and pals

and so on.

It can be a bit of a drafting challenge when there are plenty of overlapping circles. but that results when one has built "an established life," a well-rooted and integrated life over years. I drew one such diagram out for myself last year, and it was an interesting little project.

When people move, they risk losing quite a bit. I don't know how some people move or retire to South Carolina or Florida and rebuild a rich life from scratch. We could not do that, but we would not want to anyway.